Private Property
by m1129
Summary: Tris is mourning the loss of her parents. After arriving home from their funeral, she breaks down desperately seeks solitude and fresh air, which she finds on the rooftop of her apartment building. But trespassing on the private property leads to more than just find a peaceful place to escape for a while. It leads to a unique friendship too. Modern Day/AU. Fluff/Smut. *Rated M/MA*
1. Chapter 1

**" Private Property" **

**\- Part 1 of 3 -**

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 **Disclaimer:**

 **This story is rated M/MA  
** **(Explicit for language, sexual content, and reference to mild drug use)  
** **So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

 **I do not own Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brands mentioned  
** **in this story. This is just my silly fanfiction.**

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 **~TRIS POV~**

I can't breath. I need air, _now_.

As soon as I stepped into my apartment and shut the door behind me, I broke out into a heavy sob. I hadn't even kicked off my high heels or pulled the purse off my shoulder before I crumbled into a heap on the floor blubbering until I soaked the carpet beneath me with my tears.

I cried, and cried, and cried some more. Who knows how long I lay there like that, but I do know that now, I feel like I'm hyperventilating right now.

I push up off the floor and steady myself, I try and fail to gather an adequate breath. The tears have stopped falling, but I gasp for air as if there is no oxygen in the space around me. And my instinct is to just bolt, to get outside as fast as possible.

I look down and realize I'm still holding my keys. But it seems that I'm squeezing them so tightly, they're leaving indents in the palm of my hand.

I continue to try and catch my breath as I clumsily lock my front door and then quickly make my way down the hall. But then I see my talkative and constant complainer of a neighbor Jeanine heading up the stairs.

So I don't even think before I bolt in the other direction. I do _not_ feel like dealing with her right now.

I don't even know where I'm going, as I'm now running _up_ the stairs. I was looking for fresh air, not to explore the upper levels of my apartment building. But I'm almost to the top now, so I may as well see if there is roof access. I never thought of that before today.

By the time I reach the top floor, I see the elevator doors on my right, and the double-doors to the penthouse apartment to my left. And further down on my right, is another door that says "Roof".

I rush over and say a silent prayer that the door is unlocked.

There is a small sign on it that says "NO TENANT ACCESS - PRIVATE PROPERTY". But I don't really care right now. So out of curiosity, I give the door knob a pull. It sticks a little, but it's unlocked and opens with a gentle tug.

On the other side, is a small set of concrete stairs that appear to lead to the open air roof where I look up and see nothing but sky. I anxiously trudge my way up those last few steps and when I hit the top, I finally seem to be able to catch my breath. I inhale the cool evening air and try to take deep calming breaths.

Once I get myself under control for the most part, I take in the sight before me.

The roof top is like a terrace, but has a wooden deck like surface and various patio furniture. There are also some potted plants and bbq off to one side. It's peaceful up here, and the view is breathtaking.

But it's a bittersweet moment. Because as beautiful and impressive this place is, it doesn't change the fact that I just spent the afternoon burying my parents.

I guess for a funeral, it was nice. A lot of people showed up, even some who I hadn't seen since I was a kid. As much as I appreciated their presence and was happy they were their for my parents, I couldn't get myself to speak to anyone all that much. I kept quiet for the most part, despite how much my Aunt and Uncle tried to encourage me to be more social and welcoming to the guests. I think the only person that really understood my feelings, was my brother Caleb.

I got through it though, and only shed a few lonely tears throughout. I felt numb. Thankfully, I didn't completely break down in front of everyone like I thought I would. At least I saved that until I got home.

I walk around a bit and continue to admire the view and inhale the fresh air. My head is throbbing and I feel exhausted.

I wonder if I'll ever feel better than I do right now. If my heart will ever feel less broken.

As I approach one of the lounge chairs, I decide it looks very comfortable and I wish to curl up on it.

I still don't know if I should really even be up here, the sign did say "private property" after all. But nobody else is here, and it looks too enticing to ignore. So I set aside the purse I had still been clutching and lay back onto the lounge chair.

Just like I had inside my apartment when I got home, I lose track of time. I vaguely notice the sun fully go down beyond the horizon, and my watery eyes adjusting to the night sky, which is illuminated by the city lights.

I feel the cold settle in, even though it's the beginning of summer. I shiver a bit despite my coat being wrapped around me tightly. But I relish in the bite in the crisp air, I embrace the goosebumps that run over my body. It reminds me that this is real. That I'm alive.

They may not be. When that drunk driver hit my parent's car head on, they all died instantly.

But me- I'm alive. I know I am, because I feel the bitter cold air nipping at my nose and tips of my ears. I feel the soreness in my feet from these stupid heels that I wore all day and then up the 5 flights of stairs. I feel the pain in my skull as my headache continues it's attack on my brain. And I feel the mild urge to vomit, but so far, I successfully keep it down.

All these thoughts and feelings keep me in the present. It reminds me that I'm here, sitting up on roof top of my apartment building, with a sad but steady heartbeat.

But the thought that has been crossing my mind this last hour or so, is- what would they expect of me in this situation? How would they want me to handle this? What were they expecting of my future? What would they expect now, had they predicted this happening? How can I make them proud?

I'll never be able to ask them these things. Never again will I get to have my mother's homemade chicken noodle soup, or meet her at the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings or have her cut my hair. I'll never hear another one of my dad's stupid but endearing jokes, or go sailing with him on the boat he saved up and bought a couple years ago.

They're not here for me to call when I'm upset or when I have exciting news. They're not here for me to ask advice, or to watch me grow up. They won't get to meet my future husband or children.

So when I ask myself what I think they'd say about this situation- I fall short.

I can't seem to come up with any clear conclusions in this state of mind right now. But I do know they'd want me to really live. To be strong, and brave, and continue on with my life. They'd want me to remember them with happiness and remember the good times, rather than dwell on the fact that they're no longer here. But it's too soon. At this point, I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel.

•••

I wake to the sun casting down onto my face, the harsh light beating through my eyelids and forcing me awake. Being that it's so bright, I don't even want to open my eyes yet. But the more I come back to conciousness, I remember that I'm not in my bed. I'm still up on the roof.

But I feel warm and cozy and much more comfortable compared to when I laid out on the lounge chair staring up at the night sky into the deep hours of the night.

Realizing that my head feels quite cushioned as well, I get even more confused. I finally encourage my brain to awaken a bit more and open my eyes as I sit up.

My head still throbs, and if it's possible, I feel like I have an emotional hangover.

But when I come to my senses, I discover the source of my comfort.

I am covered in a huge dark grey down-feather comforter, and I seem to be clutching and resting my head on a pillow.

Its kind of odd snuggling up with someone else's stuff. But they're very cozy, and smell nice, like fabric softener. And best of all, they've obviously kept me warm well into the morning. I know it's got to be at least 7:00 or 8:00am, as the sun is high in the sky and I hear the rush hour traffic on the streets below.

But still...who does this bedding belong to? Who found me and covered me up? I only know a handful of people in this building.

I doubt it would be my neighbor Jeanine, she's just awful and wouldn't be caught doing a kind gesture like that. And I don't think it would be my nextdoor neighbor Johanna, I've been over to her place several times and this doesn't look like her stuff. I also don't think it's Tori and her boyfriend across the hall, because they're out of town (I agreed to feed their cat while they're gone).

There are a few others I'd recognize, but have never spoken to.

Maybe this rooftop space belongs to the tenant of the penthouse? And they came out this morning and found me freezing and felt bad? Who knows.

But being that I have no idea who these cozy things actually belong to, I don't know who to return them to either. So I simply fold them back up and leave them neatly on the lounge chair.

At the last minute, I decide to leave a note. Being that I have no paper with me, I just grab an old receipt out of my bag and dig around for a pen, but only find a sharpie marker.

I simply write "Thank you" on the back of the receipt, and set it on the comforter, with the pillow on top so the note doesn't fly away. At the last minute, I add a smiley face. After I drew it, I roll my eyes at myself, thinking that was stupid. But it's too late now.

When I'm at the door, ready to head back down to my apartment, I smile to myself as I glance back up at the roof one more time. I'm glad there are still kind people out there.

A stranger has comforted me more than they realize.

But the smile fades as I remember why I sought out the fresh air and solitude of the rooftop in the first place.

I lost my parents. And nothing would change that.

 **•••**

I'm doing better these days. I'm getting back to being my old self. But still, a part of me feels like I'll never completely be the same again. Yes, I'm still Tris. But I know I'll always feel a little broken. It's hard to fully heal after losing two people you're so close to. We had always been such a tight-knit family. I never expected to lose them like this. And definitely not so early in my life. It feels premature- I'm only 25 years old. And they were only in their late forties!

I thought about this and more, over the last several weeks. I mourned and cried a lot, especially during those days after the funeral or when things would trigger a certain memory. I try to stay strong, but I still let myself cry occasionally.

However, it was especially difficult when helping Caleb clean out our parents house. Finding old photographs and keepsakes, or even something as simple as cleaning out the clothes from their closets, was a somber experience.

We couldn't get ourselves to sell the house. Even though it would probably turn a good profit, it was where we grew up, and held too many fond memories. So Caleb moved back up there and is living there with his wife Susan and their son. They seem happy there, and I'm glad the house is staying in the family.

I still sneak up the roof top of my apartment building on a regular basis. It's a nice little oasis. A way to get away from everything for a little while.

I have a feeling it's just me and one other person who utilizes this space. But I still don't know the other person. Or if this space belongs to them specifically. But the door to get up here is always unlocked, and I've never had indication that I'm not welcome.

Well, besides that small "Private Property" sign that I encountered that first night, and have proceeded to pretend I don't see each time I come up here. But I've never run into anyone, and it's not like I'm disturbing anyone. A part of me feels bad, like I'm intruding. But what's the harm, right?

I also often find myself thinking about the other person that visits up here. I assume it's the same person that covered me up that night a few months ago after my parents funeral. But when I came back up here a few days after that, the blanket and pillow were gone and I haven't really noticed much change besides that.

Occasionally when I've come up here, I've found a paperback book that they'd left, or an empty beer bottle or two. But one time there was a pair of flip flops left on the ground. Definitely a pair that would belong to a guy.

But we've never run into each other, or left any further notes for one another.

Well, until today.

A couple weeks ago, out of curiosity, I had picked up the book he left on the lounge chair.

At first, it felt like an even further invasion of privacy. But surely he would have re-considered leaving it out here if he actually minded. Plus, it's not like it's a personal journal or anything. It's just a sci-fi/thriller novel.

So out of boredom, I began to read it from the beginning. Then much to my surprise, discovered how good the book actually was, and found myself not wanting to put it down. Obviously, I eventually had to. Especially since I had my friend Christina's graduation party to go to, and she'd have had a fit if I was late. But I didn't want to lose my spot in the book, and I didn't want to dog-ear the page or anything. It wasn't my book after all, and I wanted to respect the condition of it.

But he had used a blank post-it note as a bookmark. So I decided to just rip off a little corner of the post-it note and mark my spot with that. If he notices, hopefully he won't mind.

What would this person think if they found me up here like this? And now I've taken it upon myself to read their book too? A part of me feels so immature...but not enough to stop. I just decided it wasn't that big of a deal. And if he wants me to stop, he'll tell me.

So since then, I've continued reading the book when I come up here, and continue marking my spot with the minuscule yellow piece of paper. I notice his bookmark progresses through the chapters as well. It's interesting to see we read at about the same pace. And I wonder what he thinks of the book? I guess he likes it since he's still reading it. But what's his feel for it overall? Was he as suprised about chapter 36 as I was?

As this continued, I decided it's kind of fun that we're reading the same book like this. Even if I don't ever meet him, it's kind of a fun thing we share. I don't know if he'd feel the same way, but I'd like to think so.

But today...was different.

After an extra long day at school and dinner out with some friends, I headed home. But there was nothing good on TV and despite it being close to midnight, I still wasn't tired. Usually I only go up to the roof in the early mornings, but a night cap with a little reading to tire me out, sounds nice.

As I go to retrieve the book, I'm surprised to find that it was rubber banded to a second book.

Immediately, I notice the post-it note stuck to it. But _this_ post-it note _isn't_ blank or being used to bookmark his spot.

I don't realize I'm holding my breath until I'm done reading the handwritten message...

 _I noticed you only have a few chapters left. But since it's the second book of the trilogy, I brought you the first book. Thought you might like to read it too._

 _I'm looking forward to the third book, but it's not out until late September. Guess we'll just have to wait._

That's all it says. No name, no apartment number, nothing. But still, as I re-read the note, I find myself grinning.

This whole situation is so bizarre, but kind of thrilling at the same time. And honestly, now that it's confirmed that he knows I borrow his stuff, and truly doesn't seem to mind, I feel better. Like a little bit of weight has been lifted of my shoulders. It's a little less secretive, but just as intriguing.

The only things I know about this person, is their taste in reading material, beer and flip flops, and that I assume he's male.

But who knows if he's young or old, or what his personality is like. No idea what he looks like, if he's kind or funny, or if we'd be friends.

Either way, I have a reading buddy. And I like it.

 **•••**

 _Tris! How did you get this? It's not out until September 30th!_

 _Have you started reading it yet? I'm anxious to get started on it. Thank you._

 _I came up with a new recipe at the brewery yesterday, I'll bring some for you to try soon._

 _Good luck at the DMV tomorrow. Hope you have a good weekend._

 _-Tobias_

I smile down at today's note. After I had responded to his initial note, and began reading the other book he brought, it kind of lead to a back and fourth thing betwen us.

We've been communicating like this ever since that day. All via post-it note.

I still don't know which apartment he lives in. I've never asked, and neither has he. And I refuse to go searching for him online to learn more. I promised myself if I was to get to know him, it would be the old fashioned way. No social media searches.

Instead, I've enjoyed learning quite a bit about him just from our notes.

I know some factual things...like that his name is Tobias, and how he's 26 years old, has lived here in the city his whole life, and co-owns a local brewery with his best friend.

I also learn that we have very similar tastes not only in books, but also with music and movies as well. We've even borrowed some from each other occasionally.

As the days continue on, I notice subtle things, little hints of what makes him, _him_.

I'll catch snippets of his sense of humor, or the way his intelligence shines through in his words, without feeling pretentious.

I also get the vibe that he's a bit reserved, but I still sense kindness. He feels so genuine, yet... I haven't even met the guy.

I've told him a little bit about myself too. He knows my name is Tris, that I'm 25 years old, I'm a 4th grade teacher, and even admitted my original reason for discovering this roof top in the first place.

At some point I asked him if this was _his_ private property up here on the roof, and he said yes. I apologized for coming up here without asking. But he assured me he didn't mind, and if he did, he would have said something by now. I thanked him repeatedly, and even offered to pay him a monthly fee for letting me utilize his space like it's my own private patio. But he declined and told me I better not suggest such a silly thing again. He reminded me that I am welcome anytime, absolutely free of charge.

So yeah, even though we haven't met, I feel like I know him fairly well. And he's made a pretty good impression on me.

I'd like to say we're friends, but I guess it's more like neighbors...or pen pals with post-it notes? That does sound kind of silly when said out loud. But I don't care, I enjoy it. I always look forward to hearing from him, and I like that I can be myself in return.

So much so, that I've actually considered the idea of asking to meet him.

It wouldn't have to be in a romantic way. We haven't really mentioned anything related to that topic, so for all I know he could have a significant other he goes home to every night. I wouldn't want to meddle in that. So I would assume a hypothetical meeting would be on terms of us just being friends.

I just can't help but imagine what he'd be like in person. Would it be as easy to talk to him face to face as it has become to in writing?

What would he even think of me?

I think the only thing that is really holding me back, is my own self-consciousness. What if he's built up these grand expectations of me, only to be disappointed with the real thing? I mean, I guess he did see me that one time months ago when I was asleep, and I didn't exactly look my best. My hair looked like a rats nest and my face was all blotchy and swollen from crying my eyes out. So my current state would have to be some improvement, right?

Either way, it's proven to be fun to form a friendship with someone you've never met. But, it would be fun to finally meet him...

I grab my pen and jot down my reply without trying to overthink it. What have I got to lose? At least if he doesn't want to, I won't be rejected face to face.

 _Alright Tobias, don't make fun of me...but I signed up for the author's online fan club/mailing list, since I read that members got to purchase the book a few weeks before the general public. And no, I haven't started reading it yet. I wanted to give you the honors of starting it first!_

 _I will be more than happy to be your beer taster! Looking forward to it!_

 _The wait time at DMV wasn't too terrible, but I didn't know they'd have to re-take my photo. So I wasn't prepared, and I got distracted standing up in front of the camera, so the photo looks ridiculous! Oh well._

 _I was thinking...maybe sometime we could meet up here for coffee or something? Don't feel obligated to say yes, it was just an idea. If you don't want to, just pretend I didn't ask and I'll never mention it again. But if you do, I'm free this weekend._

 _-Tris_

•••

The next day, I go up to the roof around my usual morning time. Bright and early, just after my shower. I've given myself about a half hour to enjoy myself up here with my orange juice and bagel with cream cheese, before I have to go to work.

I see his note next to a full bottle of beer on a little side table between the lounge chairs. There's no label on the bottle yet, just the name and description written in marker. I smile when I recognize it's his hand writing.

 _Here's the brew. Let me know what you think. I'm aiming for a good winter stout._

 _Rooftop coffee sounds nice. How about Saturday morning?  
Sorry I wasn't the first to request meeting, I was trying to build up the courage to ask you. But I'm glad you did, I'm looking forward to it._

 _Have fun at your friends party... it's tomorrow night, right?  
I'm hoping mine goes well too- I can't believe I agreed to have his birthday party at my place! What was I thinking? _

_Anyway, talk to you soon. And hopefully see you Saturday. I'll bring the coffee and something to eat._

I didn't realize I cared so much about his answer, until I notice the giant grin on my face after reading his words.

Maybe I really do hope he's single.

 **-Friday Night-**

"What is this party celebrating again?" I ask Christina as I adjust cream colored silk blouse that I'm wearing with some denim jeans.

"It's for one of Will's friends- it's his birthday."

"Oh." I say, just now realizing this isn't actually her boyfriends party after all. "Wait, why am _I_ going then? I thought this was to celebrate Will's promotion."

"It kind of is, since he did get promoted last week...but it's more so for Zeke's birthday. And before you say anything, Zeke suggested we bring a few friends. And you haven't been out in a while, so we're bringing you."

"I go out." I admonish, pinning half of my hair up so it doesn't fall in my face.

"Just going out with me and Will, or with Susan or Sarah, doesn't count. You have to mingle with more people. More _guys_." She insists. "And you're wearing those jeans that show off your perfect little ass, so I don't think it'll take much to get anyone to talk to you tonight."

"I don't want random guys flirting with me because my ass looks nice." I say, looking at her in the reflection of the mirror. "What kind of guys are you trying to set me up with?"

"They'll all be part of Will's group. I've already met most of them at the last party, they're all really nice. And many of them are quite attractive, so why not live a little?" She says, applying some lip gloss.

I'm done and ready to go now, already impatient to get this night over with. I'm not very outgoing around strangers, and I hate awkward silence. Plus, I don't want to just be surrounded by a bunch of drunken idiots, or be the third wheel to Will and Christina all night. I'd rather hang out and drink with a smaller crowd that I'm more acquainted with.

"I'm not looking to hook up with any guys Chris. So please get that out of our head."

"Let me guess, are you finally admitting to having high hopes on taking it to the next level with your little pen pal? You still haven't met him, right?"

I blush and roll my eyes, but don't answer her question. I should never have told her about Tobias, she's done nothing but tease me. She may be my best friend, but she can be a little much sometimes.

I haven't really even told her all that much, just vaguely that I've been writing back and forth with one of my neighbors. That we share books and stories of our day. I didn't tell her I've learned his name, because I know she'll be googling him within a matter of seconds if I do.

She's even gone as far as saying he's probably some teenage nerd pretending to be this sweet charming hot guy. Or some old creep trying to hit on a young girl.

I tried explaining that we're just friends, and that I'm confident he's being honest about everything. I know she just worries for me, but I feel myself get defensive about him when she talks about all the 'what-ifs'.

Plus, I reminded her that even if it did for some reason happen to turn into something more than friendship (which I emphasized my doubt on), then this is a great way to get to know someone without judging anything on their appearance first.

She had shrugged in agreement when I mentioned that. But I don't think she really agreed all that much.

So that is why I have yet to admit to her that I've planned to meet up with him tomorrow morning. On top of that, I'm beyond giddy about it. I really do think I like this guy. At least what I know of him so far, is to my liking. I guess I'll see how tomorrow goes though.

•••

When Christina insisted I attend this party with her, I had no idea it was here in my very apartment building. Let alone in the nice loft style penthouse.

Apparently the birthday boy asked one of their other friends that lives here to host it, since they have so much space.

At least I'll be getting to know another one of my neighbors, even if they are several flights above my floor.

I have an anxious feeling. Penthouse? My apartment building? Friends birthday? I'm no detective, but the odds are adding up. Is _this_ the party Tobias was referring to?

I've always considered that maybe he lives in the penthouse, since he admitting to being the 'owner' of the private property of the rooftop when I asked. But I never asked specifically where he lived. So there's a possibility he lives elsewhere in the building and just made a deal with management about the private property. Still, I can't help my nerves at the prospect of him possibly being here. And the fact that I have no idea what he looks like, doesn't help my situation.

After trying the doorbell, Christina gives her signature knock on the door. Athough I don't know if anyone will hear either of them over the music.

I'm proven to be correct, as she ends up having to text Will that were here. Within seconds then, he answers the door for us.

"Hello my Princess." he greets Christina. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Thank you, my sweet handsome prince." She replies with a big smile and steps up on her tippy toes to kiss him hello. "I missed you so much." She adds, rubbing her nose with his.

I have to hold back rolling my eyes. And she really thinks she can tease me about guys?

Thankfully after that, they keep their PDA to a minimum, for the most part.

I'm introduced to several people in the immediate area. None of which are introduced as someone named Tobias. But I get chatting with a girl named Shauna, who I find out just recently applied and interviewed to be the nurse at the elementary school where I work. She and I get along great from the get go, so I end up telling her I'll put in a good word for her. I also find out the birthday boy, Zeke, is her boyfriend.

A little while later, Christina introduces me to a guy named Eric. She tries to pretend like she suddenly has the urge to pee and insists Will show her to the bathroom, leaving Eric and I to ourselves.

We end up playing round of pool, and at some point I see Christina and Will off in the corner, whispering and pointing and sending encouraging smiles my way.

Do they really think I'm compatable with this guy? I mean, he's not unattractive. Actually, most girls would consider him hot. But, I already feel like he's kind of rude. The small talk we've had has been more like bickering between us, but with more of a flirty edge on his side. It's actually getting quite annoying by this point, and I'm looking forward to finding someone else to talk to. There's tons of people here by now, it can't be that difficult to escape him.

But since he doesn't seem to think a girl can beat him at a round of pool, I've decided to bear through it and at least finish the game. After all, I do actually have a chance at winning, so why not rub it in his face a little?

Unfortunately, in order to win, I'll have to do a bit of bending over. My short height doesn't help.

I can feel his leer as I aim for my yellow striped ball.

I make the shot, and line myself up perfectly for my next move.

He makes a sarcastic remark, but I just ignore him and continue to play.

I sink the ball in the corner pocket, and finally go for the eight ball. I take a deep breath, call the shot, then bend and aim.

Just before I go to take it, I feel him lean over me as if to help me line up my shot.

"Sorry, you looked like you could use some help." He smirks, putting his hands on my hips.

"Back away, before I break both of your arms." I tell him without looking up from where I'm taking aim. I'm proud at how my voice remains firm and unwavering. I guess the two beers I've had have helped me be a bit more harsh and intimidating. Without that, it's not like I exactly look tough or anything. In fact, I wouldn't be all that surprised if he laughed out loud a my comment. I look like quite the weakling beside him. But I won't back down or show my weakness. And thankfully, he gets the hint and backs away a bit.

I take the shot and much to my happiness, I actually make it! I smile triumphantly and stand tall as I look at this Eric guy with raised eyebrows.

"I doubt I'm really the first girl to kick your ass, but it was fun all the same." I say, laying the cue down on the table, making it obvious I'm done playing and no longer wish to speak to him.

He snickers and asks to play agin, but I ignore him and decide to go look for Christina. Or at least someone that I somewhat know and can hang out with. I definitely want to get some distance from this Eric guy.

When passing through the kitchen, I decide to grab another drink, but decide to cut myself off after this one.

I grab a beer from the stocked countertop full and pop the cap off, before pouring it into the red solo cup.

However, like the idiot I can be sometimes, I go to turn as I'm taking a sip and bump right into someone. The cup hits their firm chest, spilling it's frothy ale over both of us.

"Whoa, sorry." I say, reaching for the roll of paper towels at the end of the counter. I unwind a handful and hand them to him before grabbing some for myself. "I don't know why I actually attempt to drink and walk at the same time, I'm so clumsy."

"Hey, no worries. Just an accident."

"Still, I've spilled it all over us. And what a waste of really good beer."

As I attempt to pat-dry off my top, I finally look up at him to see how badly I got him, hoping I didn't ruin his shirt. But instead, I get distracted by how truly attractive he is.

Tall, broad shoulders, lean- but muscular, messy brown hair, and a face so handsome I don't know if I'll actually be able to get words out if he actually plans to continue speaking to me.

He's pretty much the most handsome guy I've ever seen before.

He must feel me creepily staring at him, because his eyes lift and meet mine with a small friendly smile. But then his expression turns to one of surprise and...recognition? I definitely don't recognize this guy, I would have remembered him. Wait a minute, this can't be...?

"It's you." He says, so quietly I almost don't hear him.

"Me?" I ask, eyebrows raised in surprise. Is this for real?

He clears his throat then, and looks down at the ground for a second as he takes a breath. He looks back up at me after a moment, an adorable shy smile dawning his face.

As if he couldn't get any cuter.

"Yeah." He says, almost nervously. "I, um...I'm Tobias."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I'm back! I really didn't think it would take me this long to get this posted.** **This was intended to be a short story and was going to be posted all at once as part of my 'one-shot/short story' series. But for some reason, the website wouldn't let me save it all at once with so many words! Or at least when I did, it wouldn't let me access the file after. So I had to re-write the whole thing and decided to just save it in three parts. Of which I will now post over 3 days.**

 **Part 2 will be posted tomorrow and Part 3 the day after that.**

 **After Part 3 is posted, I will be posting a picture collage to correlate with this little story. You'll be able to check it out on my Tumblr.** **My user name is: madisonr1129**

 **Also, I'm having trouble uploading the cover art for this story. But I'll get it up as soon as the site will allow me to. In the meantime, you can find it on my Tumblr as well.**

 **As always, thank you for reading and for all of your support! You've been very patient and wonderful, and I really appreciate it.**

 **Please review to let me know what you think.**

 **Last but not least, thank you so much Ractre1127 for your friendship and beta help!**

 **:-)**

 **-Madison**


	2. Chapter 2

**"Private Property" -** **Part 2 of 3**

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 **~TRIS POV~**

Tobias reaches his hand out to shake mine in formal greeting.

I blindly reach out to shake his, but I continue to just stare at him, my mouth agape.

His eyes flicker down to my lips briefly before looking back up to my eyes.

Not that it matters, because I'm just dreaming, right? This can't be true.

Could this perfectly chiseled man with these captivating blue eyes, really be the guy I have an arrangement to meet for coffee tomorrow?

"You're Tris, right? I just...I thought I recognized you." He begins to apologize, obviously taking my silence as his cue that I have no idea who he is.

"Oh! No, no. I mean, yeah, that's me. Tris. I'm Tris." I try explaining, without making a bigger idiot of myself, but failing miserably.

He gives me a bright smile and I could feel my stomach flip excitedly when our eyes lock once more.

So I take a breath and try to make a better first impression and offer a bashful smile in return.

"Sorry, you just caught me off guard. I forgot you knew what I looked like." I say with a small laugh. "But I think a part of me was expecting you might be here."

"Yeah?"

I nod. "I figured there was a chance you might live here since you have the private roof access. And when Christina dragged me up here for the party, and I remembered you mentioned you'd be hosting a friends party tonight, I kind of put two and two together."

"Have you been here long?"

"About an hour. I've played some pool and stuff."

He nods, smiling kindly as he tucks his hands in his pockets. "I guess I shouldn't have holed myself up by the TV as my idiot friends attempt to drunkedly play video games." he says with a chuckle. "I usually lay low at big parties like this." he adds.

"Hey! We're not all idiots!" a guy says, clapping him on the back as he helps himself to another drink before leaving the kitchen. Tobias just shakes his head with an amused look on his face.

"By the way, thanks for letting me try our your tester beer. It was amazing." I tell him honestly.

"You tried it?" he asks excitedly.

I nod, still unable to wipe the smile off my face. Maybe I should just give up and assume it will be plastered there for the rest of the night.

"Yeah, I had it last night with my dinner of beef stew. Excellent pairing. I think it'll be a perfect stout for the holiday season."

"Awesome, I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't sure if it was to malty." He says, relieved.

"No, it was perfect. I'm no expert, but I think it'll be a popular one. Was this one of yours too?" I ask, holding up the now empty cup in my hand.

"I believe so. But here, let me get you a replacement." He says, and goes to the fridge. "You've got to have a cold one anyway, it's much better." He retrieves a beer glass from one of the cupboards, then proceeds to pour the bevereage expertly before handing it over to me.

"Thank you." I take a sip and appreciate how cold and crisp it is going down. I feel a little foam on my lip, so I lick it off.

"Another amazing one, you guys are really good at your job." I tell him and he smiles bashfully.

"Thank you." he says and looks at me sincerely. "It really is nice to finally meet you." he adds.

"I agree." I say, getting a bit lost in the depth of his eyes. "It's crazy that we ended up at the same party, right?. I don't suppose you know my friend Christina then, do you?"

"I actually just met her tonight when Will came and introduced her. Will and I go way back. We went to high school together, with Zeke. Who I own the brewery with." He explains.

"Ah, the birthday boy." I say. "I met him too, but he was quite distracted playing poker in the living room."

"I know, he always insists on having these huge parties, but then doesn't leave the makeshift poker table all night. I don't think we even know some of the people here."

I laugh and take a seat on the bar stools at the counter. Before taking a seat next to me, he grabs a container of salsa and sets it on the counter, along with a bag of tortilla chips.

Over the next two hours, we sit there and snack on it as we talk. The conversation remains light, but we learn a lot more about each other. And I find myself almost acting flirty a few times. I don't know if it's my slightly-buzzed mind just being hopeful, but I could have swore he was being a little flirty back.

But best of all, he makes me laugh.

I haven't laughed like this in a _long_ time, and it feels really really good.

I'm almost surprised at his witty sense of humor. He seems like more of the serious type on the outside. But here he is showing me this other side to him. The one that I saw bits of amongst our various post-it notes back and fourth.  
I also discover he has a bit of a nerdy side, which makes him even more adorable in my mind. And means we have that much more in common.

"You've really never seen any of the Star Wars movies?" he asks me incredulously.

"I'm serious." I say with a laugh, finding it funny that he doesn't know if he should believe me. "That's crazy, right?" I say in agreement, standing to go to the sink so that I can rinse off the salsa I just accidentally stuck my hand in. "It's not like I don't want to. I even thought about just sitting and having a marathon by myself. But then I couldn't decide which three to watch first."

"So you do want to see them? You're not just saying that because you think that's what I want to hear?" he teases with a smirk, but he also looks a bit hopeful.

"Yeah, of course I want to see them! Unless you don't think they're that good..." I tease back.

"Nonsense." he says with a grin. "I think we need to have a marathon then. As soon as possible."

"Deal. But we have to order lots of take-out. And don't be offended if I wear sweat pants." I say. Then unfortunately, as I go to step around the counter to go back to my bar stool, a drunken girl named Molly comes around the corner and accidentally slams right into me, drenching me with the contents of her giant margarita.

"Aw, damnit. Drew just poured me that. What a waste." she whines. "Sorry 'bout the top shortcake." she pats my head and turns to back the way she came yelling for Drew to make her another.

Meanwhile, I hear Tobias murmur something like _Fucking Molly_ under his breath _,_ before grabbing me the roll of paper towels on the counter.

"Sorry-" he begins, but I stop him.

"Hey, it's not your fault. It's not really a big deal."

I attempt to dry myself off, but my top is thoroughly soaked now. And better yet, now my nipples are hard. When I notice this, I cross my arms, doing my best to cover myself up.

But I guess I didn't do it quick enough, as Eric seems to have caught a good glimpse as he walks by.

"Aw, that's no fair- you're starting the wet t-shirt contest without me?" He comments, having no shame as he ogles where my arms cover the wet silk clinging to my breasts.

"Fuck off, Eric." I say, and then realize Tobias and I said that at the same time.

We look at each other and can't help but crack a smile at one another. But then he looks back at Eric with a scowl. "Feel free to let yourself out the door." he tells him.

"Buncha' stiffs." I believe is what Eric mumbles as he walks away. I wouldn't have expected him to let up so easily, considering his relentlessness during our encounter earlier, but then I see the look that Tobias was giving him. _If looks could kill._

He turns to me and his expression softens.

I can tell he's purposely keeping his eyes on my face rather than my soaked chest.

"Want to borrow a dry shirt?" He asks.

"Yeah, if it's not too much trouble. I mean, I can just walk down to my apartment, I'm only five floors down."

"I don't mind." he says, and gestures his head towards the hallway suggesting I follow him.

"Your apartment is amazing by the way." I say as he leads me down the hall.

Even though this building isn't all that fancy or high-end, the penthouse is still easily three times the size of my little apartment.

"Thanks. Yeah, I like it a lot. Once the brewery started doing really well, I thought it would be fun to get a place with more space. Before this, I was cramped up in a tiny studio apartment with terrible plumbing. Plus, I liked the privacy of having the top floor to myself, no neighbors except below me."

"And you get the private roof access." I point out.

"Yeah, definitely a bonus. You know how much I love it up there." he says as he unlocks his bedroom door.

"Not as much as your girl in 6B." I say with a small laugh, pointing to myself with my thumb.

I mentally scold myself for saying something so stupid. Not only was it a stupid remark, but I can't believe I said 'your girl' in reference to myself.

He just smirks and makes his way to a dark brown wooden dresser. "I mean, I just kind of let myself up there and starting using your stuff without asking."

Why am I acting more nervous around him all of a sudden? Is it because we're in his bedroom and I'm just a few feet away from his gigantic bed?

"I already told you, I would have said something if I minded." He assures as he reaches into the back of one of the drawers.

"That's what I kept telling myself. But I still felt kind of intrusive." I admit, trying not to get too distracted by the way his muscles move beneath his shirt as he looks for the article of clothing in mind. Those arms, abd that back...and that butt...

I'm snappped from my half-way tilted head observation when he turns and hands me a black t-shirt.

"Well, if you hadn't, who knows if we would have met."

"True." I say with a small smile, swallowing thickly. Is it hot in here?

"Sorry, that's the smallest I have." he says, gesturing the garment that's now dangling from my hand.

"It's perfect, thank you."

"If you'd like to change in the bathroom, is straight through there." He points to a doorway where the en-suite bathroom is. "And feel free to use a towel if the drink got you sticky or whatever."

"Thanks, I'll be right back."

I don't snoop in his medicine cabinet or in his drawers like I'm sure most girls would. Or already have.

I admit, it crossed my mind. I'm curious and anxious to learn more about this man. He's intriguing and I can't deny the attraction I seem to have towards him. He's like a magnet pulling me in. And I'm beyond grateful that things seem to be so comfortable and easy between us. It's not as awkward as I thought it might be. And honestly, I hadn't thought about Christina or leaving this party once since I bumped into him. I feel kind of bad for ditching her. But then I remember, she kind of ditched me, right? Plus, she wanted me to mingle more.

Once I'm done switching shirts, I look at my reflection, hoping it's not too bad. Thankfully the little makeup I have on hasn't smudged or anything, and I don't have any food in my teeth. I run my fingers through my hair to attempt to straighten it up a little and reapply some lip balm.

When I come back out into his bedroom a couple minutes later, he's sitting on the bed waiting patiently.

He re-locks the door behind us upon exiting, so that no party-goers find their way into his room. He said he likes to at least keep that room completely off limits.

When we make our way through the hall, I realize this place seems to be even more packed. How many people could possibly cram in this place? And so quickly. We couldn't have been in there more than 10 minutes.

It seems that Tobias notices this right away too and he lets out a low sigh, with a bit of an irritated growl to it.

"Fuck." he mumbles after stopping at the entry way and looking around the crowded open floor plan with me at his side. I survey the space as well and my eyes land on Christina and the others, all piled on the big couch near the TV.

Without so much as a second glance, Tobias reaches over and closes the cabinet door beside him, that some person started going into and started fishing out his CD's.

The red headed guy that reaks of weed, just looks up at Tobias dumbly.

"Dude, I just want to hear this song-" he begins.

"No." Tobias told him sternly. The single word said in such a disciplinary way, I wonder if anyone would deny his command.

The guy shrinks away and wiggles his way through a group of girls dancing.

"I need to talk to Zeke." he tells me.

I nod and accept his hand when he reaches for mine. He pulls me through the throng of drunken people, keeping my hand clutched in his, probably so I don't lose him.

His strong and warm calloused fingers are linked with mine and in that moment, I think to myself about how I don't think I ever knew how wonderful hand-holding was before this. It never felt so...natural. So exhilerating.

So you can imagine my disappointment when he drops my hand as we approach the group. But not before giving it a little squeeze.

Zeke is grinning at the TV, laughing at the show that's now playing. When I glance and see what it is, I'm not expecting it to be a cheesy soap opera. But what surprises me even more, is that the lead actor on screen, is none other than _Eric_. The guy I played pool with. Seriously? I snort to myself with a short laugh, which happens to catch Tobias' attention. He looks at me briefly, sees that I'm looking at the TV, and trails his eyes over to see it as well. He chuckles and shakes his head, also amused by the sight. But then he just offers me a small smile before looking back at his friend and gets his attention by snapping his fingers in his face.

"Zeke, what happened to 30-40 people tops?"

"I know, right? Who knew I was so popular." Zeke replies with a cheeky grin.

"There's got to be close to a hundred people here now. You're telling me you actually know all these people?" Tobias asks unbelievably.

Zeke looks around nodding, but it slows and turns to a shake of his head. "Nah, I guess I don't know most of them." He says, almost with a bit of confusion. He's obviously had a few drinks. Or by the looks of his blood shot eyes, maybe he smoked with the red headed guy. Either way, he doesn't seem fully coherent. But he does seem to be somewhat concerned about the amount of apparent strangers in his best friends apartment. "Maybe we should all introduce ourselves?" He adds with a weak laugh.

"Next idea." Tobias encourages, seemingly aware of the state his friend is in, but trying to give him the benefit of calling the shots since it's his birthday party.

"Let's kick them out, just keep our little group here to finish the party." Zeke suggests as if the idea just now came to him.

"Yeah, that would be way more fun. Some guy just grabbed my ass in the kitchen." His girlfriend Shauna says with a furrow of her brow as she takes her spot back next to her man. "I think these people are mostly here because of Eric. Why'd you have to invite him anyway?"

Zeke shrugs. "He was having a bad day, I told him he could come and have a few drinks with us."

"How do you even know him?" Christina asks.

"He's a regular at the brewery's restaurant." Tobias says.

"And goes to our gym." Zeke chimes in. "He's not usually as bad when he's sober."

I see Tobias roll his eyes. I get the feeling he doesn't necessarily agree with Zeke on that one.

But before he can say another word, a very pretty girl comes rushing over to Tobias.

She's petite in general, and has beautiful piercing green eyes. But the first thing I can't help but notice are her huge breasts. In fact, I realize it's very likely they're fake. But maybe not? Wait, why am I think about this? That's right, because they are on display for everyone to notice no matter what. Especially considering she's wearing a halter style dress that shows enought side-boob to make it very obvious she's not wearing a bra.

...and here I stand, in my skinny jeans and Tobias' black t-shirt that hangs off me so loosely it could probably be worn as a dress.

"Toby! There you are. I need your help, I think your toilet is broken and I _really_ gotta pee." she says, giving him the most ridiculous puppy dog eyes as she gives his hand a pull.

"I'm kind of busy Nita."

"But I think it's going to overflow or something. You better go check and make sure it's okay." she encourages. "You don't want your apartment to flood."

He sighs and looks to his friends. "Please try to get these strangers out of here. Now." he pleads to his friends on the couch. They all murmur their agreement.

"I'll be right back." He says, but this time, he looks directly at me when he says it. So I instinctevely give a nod in reply.

He then turns and lets the girl lead him away.

So I take a seat in the only empty spot nearby, which is on the smaller couch, beside a guy I was introduced to earlier as Al. He seems shy, but nice.

"He's serious guys, we should clear most of these people out." Will says then.

"What's the easiest way to kick them all out?" Uriah asks. He's the one that came into the kitchen earlier, and I found out he's Zeke's younger brother.

"I have an idea." Zeke says and stands and walks over to Eric. He whispers something in his ear and Eric nods along, before they do a hand-shake thing.

As Zeke turns back and returns to his spot on the couch, Eric cups his hands around his mouth to shout.

"Alright everyone- party's moving! Let's head down to Lux!" Eric announces.

Lux is that fancy bar only about a two blocks away, but I don't feel like going there. So I'm glad I feel like I'm kind of a part of the group that is staying behind.

I stay put, as pretty much everyone heads for the front door following Eric, leaving just 8 of us sitting around the living space. Which I can now fully observe and take in now that it's not obstructed by bodies everywhere.

Tobias seems to have really good taste. It's masculine and modern, but still has some warmth and isn't over the top. I like it.

I like him.

So far, he's exceeded my expectations of who I thought I'd meet tomorrow. I mean, I didn't really know what to expect. But in no way could my imagination work that well.

I've learned so much more about him tonight, and I'm glad we really seem to be having a good time.

As I think about him, somewhat tuning out those conversing around me, I pick at the Dauntless Brewing label on the beer bottle in my hands.

I smile to myself as I recall how enthusiastic Tobias got when I asked him more about the brewery. He seemed happy to tell me all about how they started the business from stratch, how they finally got into the location they wanted in an industrial building about 5 minutes away, and then some various things of beer making. He seems humble about it all, but I can tell they worked really hard to make it successful, and I feel really proud of them.

"Hey, want to go up to the roof?" Zeke asks excitedly.

"He has roof access?" Will asks.

"Yeah, he told me about it last week. Apparently it's his own private space and has lawn chairs and shit up there. I couldn't believe he never told us before! He even said some chick goes up there sometimes, they're friends now."

"You serious?" Uriah asks. "Is she hot?"

Zeke shrugs. "He wouldn't say. But from the sound of it, he hasn't even met her."

"That's adorable." Shauna says and Marlene nods in agreement.

I don't dare look over at Christina, my eyes wandering to everyone but her.

"Yeah, I think he totally has a crush on her." Zeke says.

"Tobias? Has a crush?" Will asks, seemingly unconvinced. As if the idea of that is obsurd.

"I'm telling you man, you should have heard how he lit up when he finally told me about her. But that's crazy, right? I mean, what if she has a peg leg and an eye patch? Or maybe she's a crazy old cat lady?"

I stifle a giggle then, not only at his stupid remark, but the fact that he sounds just like Christina when I finally told her about Tobias.

I had purposively never revealed his name to her, but by now she's obviously figured it out.

I don't mean to, but I sneak a glance up at her. She's giving me a knowing look and is doing a terrible job of hiding her smile. I smile back, but give her a pleading look.  
Surely she must know I want her to keep her mouth shut right now.

Before I can dwell on that any further, we hear heals clicking down the stairs. I turn to look along with everyone else, and see Nita letting herself out the front door without so much as a wave.

Moments later, Tobias joins us again.

He was only gone a couple of minutes, but he returns with a wrinkled shirt and lipstick smeared on his neck.

His eyes meet mine, but I look down at my lap and don't even realize it when I begin chewing on my bottom lip.

Zeke whistles at the sight. "Dude, what happened to you?"

"I guess I should have known. There was nothing wrong with the toilet. Nita just wanted a moment alone to attack me."

"Oh darn." Uriah says sarcastically. Marlene elbows him.

"You _know_ I don't like her." Tobias replies, shooting Uriah a look as he pulls up a chair and sits beside me.

"Seems she left a little lipstick behind." Shauna says and hands him her napkin, gesturing to his neck. Tobias takes it and attempts at wiping it off, but keeps missing.

"No, up higher." Shauna says, but he still misses. "Help him, will ya Tris?"

He glances at me and I tentaiively reach for the napkin and wipe the red lipstick from his neck and jaw. I hear Christina stifling a giggle, but I ignore her.

"Yeah, better wipe that off before rooftop girl sees. What if she's up there when we go up?!" Zeke says with a grin.

My eyes snap up involuntarily at that.

Tobias' eyes cut to me before going to Zeke.

"Excuse me?" Tobias snaps at his friend, giving him eyes like _what the fuck?_

"I'm just giving you a hard time." Zeke laughs, standing and patting Tobias' shoulder. "Now, how about you show us up there. We're dying to see what you've been hiding."

He almost seems like he's going to say no at first, but then sighs and agrees.

"Alright, since you somehow cleared out my apartment in the couple minutes I was gone, I'll take you up there." he replies, looking around at the lack of party guests. Only the low sound of music from the wall mounted speakers fills the space.

"But," Tobias says, looking straight at his friend again. Zeke nods, waiting for him to continue. "Three conditions; 1.) No more boos for you, you're drunk enough. 2.) You have to bring the cake. 3.) Drop the 'Rooftop Girl' stuff. I really like her and I'm trying to make a good impression. I want her to like me back." Tobias says, and his eyes flit over to me.

My mouth parts and I look at him unblinking. Out of the corner of my eye I see Christina, Marlene and Shauna barely containing their whispers and giggles, obviously confirming their suspicion of our little secret. But Tobias' comment goes right over the guys' heads.

"Deal!" Zeke says. But Tobias remains looking at me, a sweet but nervous smile on his face.

"Would you like to lead the way?" he asks.

I can't help but smile back. _He likes me!_

"Sure." I say and stand, grabbing my bag. Everyone else seems to snap into shape then and begin standing and grabbing what they want to bring. Their phones, blankets, snacks, and so on.

"Did you bring a coat or anything?" Tobias asks me.

"No, I wasn't expecting to go outside."

"Okay, one sec." he says and jogs towards the stairs again. When he comes back, he's got that big gray down-feather comforter that I love so much. Once I see it, I realize I've actually missed it.

We share a smile and I turn to lead the way.

"Hey, how do you know how to get up here?" Zeke asks me as I jiggle the handle on the door just right, in order to get it to open and give us access to the roof.

"Seriously, babe?" Shauna asks Zeke, amused by his lack of realization yet.

We all laugh as we make our way up.

It's strange coming up here with other people. I've climbed these steps so many times, but always by myself.

When we make ut up, I walk straight forward to claim the lounge chair that I want. Tobias seems to be hot on my tail, and shuffles past me quickly. I laugh and run, trying to catch up, but he beats me.

Thankfully though, he choses the one right next to 'my' chair.

The table and chairs that the rest of them sit at, is nearby us. And we keep up in conversation with them. We all talk and eat cake until juse after midnight. But slowly, each couple begins to excuse themselves. Until it's just Tobias and I left.

I hadn't thought about getting up to leave too, until now. I wonder if Tobias was expecting me to, and is afraid to ask me to leave? Or are we going to hang out longer? I stifle a yawn, but the stubborn part in me doesn't want to go anywhere, not yet. I'm enjoying his company too much.

The wind picks up and I can't help but shiver. Tobias must notice, because he stands, pushes his lounge chair right up next to mine so that the arms are touching, and then lays the large grey comforter over the chairs, covering me up _completely_ as he does.

I let out a small laugh, almost sounding like a giggle, as he climbs back onto his chair under the blanket, and finally folds it down some to uncover my face.

"Thank you." I say.

"No problem." He replies with a grin.

We lay back then, admiring the night sky. The silence is comfortable and I feel heat radiating off him from having him so close. I inhale the scent of him from his blanket that's tucked under my chin. But it's so much better and stronger since he's beside me this time, sharing the blanket. Even though the arm rests from our lounge chairs separate us, we seem to have still gravitated towards one another so that our arms are touching. I feel like a teenager, getting excited about such innocent contact. But my God, he is definitely one to get excited over. That playful smile he just gave me pretty much soaked my panties.

"I missed this ya know. This is the best bed comforter I've ever felt. It's amazing." I admit.

"I know, I agree. It's my favorite. It's too hot to have it on my bed during the summer, but it's on there the rest of the year." he says with a chuckle. "I don't even remember where I bought it."

"So, it's your favorite comforter. And it probably wasn't cheap or easily replaceable. Yet you offered it to a complete stranger?" I tease.

Where am I going with this? I don't even know where that came from. But I guess I _am_ curious why he'd be so generous with a stranger. Not many people would be so kind.

"You want the truth?" he asks playfully, but I see the seriousness in his eyes as he looks at me.

"Always." I say with a small smile. His lips quirk up again like they did a few minutes ago, and then he takes a deep breath and looks up into the night sky as he begins to regale some details.

"I just came up here for some fresh air. I obviously wasn't expecting to find someone up here. I mean, I know I never lock the door. But I had never seen anyone else up here before. So I was surprised, but then...I found myself drawn to you. You piqued my curiosity. When I came closer, I found a pretty girl in a black dress, curled up in the fetal position on one of my lounge chairs, asleep, but still with wet tears still on her cheeks. I saw so much sadness on your face, even with your eyes closed. I could tell you had a rough night, and had probably seeked the solitude up here like I did. I thought about waking you up so you could head home where it was warm and you had a comfortable bed. But I couldn't get myself to wake you, especially when it appeared like you had finally just fallen asleep. Then I thought of just carrying you down to myself, but didn't know where to go. I considered taking you back to my apartment to let you sleep in the guest bedroom. But then I thought about how creepy that might seem for you when you woke up. Or what if you woke up while I was carrying you? Just as creepy. So yeah, I didn't want to freak you out. But I also didn't want you to freeze, and the temperature was dropping into the 60's. So I just went down and got the blanket that I knew would do the the job well of keeping you warm." he explains, still looking up into the deep blue sky that almost matches the exact color of his eyes.

"Well, for the record, I don't think you're creepy. Just unbelievably sweet."

 _And wait a minute, did he just call me pretty?_

"Well, there's something else..." he says, looking over at me with a slight bit of worry on his face. "I guess it's not really a big deal, but I feel like you should know- I kind of...slept up here that night too."

"You did?" I ask, not put off, just surprised.

"Yeah. I'm sorry if we just bumped back up to the creepy category. That's definitely the last thing I wanted. You see, as I went back down to my place, I remembered how our jackass of a neighbor Peter, had overheard me telling Zeke about my rooftoop access. I know it's kind of silly, but I started to worry about you being up here alone. I couldn't help but think how Peter or some guy might go up there and bother you. I know that makes me kind of hypocritical." he chuckles. "But it was different, I wasn't there to bother you. I knew I wouldn't hurt you or get in your personal space. But I coudn't be sure anyone else would be as respectful. And well, I couldn't sleep because of those awful thoughts. So I grabbed another blanket and a couple of pillows and made my way back up here to the roof. I figured if you were still up here asleep, I'd just take my own lounge chair off to the other corner there and get some rest, but felt like I could still at least keep an eye on you from others. So that's exactly what I did. You were still out, so I dropped one of my pillows down beside you, and then quietly carried my lounge chair over there where I settled down for the night." He points toward the corner by the hatch door. "It was actually pretty nice, sleeping outdoors like that." he adds.

"Wow." I don't know why that's all that comes out of my mouth as a reply.

Maybe because that's pretty much the kindest thing a guy has done for me? Seriously, is this guy for real? He's right, that could have potentially been a pretty creepy scenerio, had it been some other guy. And I'm not sure how I would have felt had I known about it at the time, being that I knew nothing about him. I almost feel like I _should_ be more weirded out. But I'm not. I already feel comfortable around him and I get 0 creepy vibes. I just find him to be a caring and thoughful individual.

"Then in the morning, I bolted." he says, breaking me from my thoughts. "I didn't know what to say to you once you'd wake up. Or if you'd want to be comforted about whatever you were sad about. And I pretty much have no experience with that. And I didn't know if you'd be freaked out about my being there. Plus, I didn't want you to feel like I was insulting you...like you need a guy around to defend you all the time or anything. I just...you seemed so vulnerable and lonely. I don't l know, I just immediately felt protective of you. I felt like you could at least just use my presence, even if you didn't know I was there. So I stayed. But around 7am, I headed back down to my apartment, where I tried my hardest to get you off my mind and not worry about you. You were an adult afterall, and I was just a strange guy that lives in your building."

"You're not just a strange guy." I admonish, not really knowing what else to say. I'm so baffled and intrigued by his admission. "I should be thanking you. I really did need you that night, whether I realized it or not."

"So you don't think I'm a crazy person?"

"No." I say with a small laugh. "I appreciate you, Tobias. I think you're a good person...and.. I instinctually feel like I can trust you. You've been nothing but kind and amazing since our first encounter."

He smiles at me tentatively. He seems relieved, but also unsure.

"Don't worry- I've only gotten good vibes from you, not creepy ones." I say with a reassuring smile.

"Good." he says, with a bit more of an obvious sigh of relief. "Me too, by the way. In case that wasn't obvious."

"I'm glad. I was definitely nervous about meeting you. I wanted to make a good first impression."

"You have nothing to worry about there." He assures, and my heart melts a bit more for this fascinating guy.

I smile and nudge him playfully with my shoulder in attempt to hide my blush.

"What is this about? You've got like 3/4 of this thing now!" he laughs, yanking some of the big blanket back over him. Only for me to yank it back a bit.

We go back and fourth like this a couple of times until the tug-o-war gets a little out of hand and I end up practically on top of him. I'm not straddling him, my legs are still on my lounge chair and his are on his side. But my chest is against his and our faces are inches apart. Once we find ourselves in this position, we halt our movements and just look at each other in a moment of wonderment.

I've never felt sexual tension this strong before, no where near it. But he's still hard to read. What is he thinking? Is he going to kiss me?

Okay, he just looked down at my lips.

Maybe _I_ should kiss _him_?

Never would I think it would be so easy to just openly stare at someone. I should feel self consious right now. But with the way he's looking at me, that's the last thing on my mind. I just can't decide or figure out what's next. It's like I'm frozen.

"This is going to sound really corny, but you have really beautiful eyes." he says, looking deeply into my eyes, like he's really taking in the details of them. "I knew they'd be pretty, but...just, yeah. They're even more unique and beautiful than I imagined." he says, referring to my eyes that I've been told look multi-colored. They almost look gray at first, but then they have hues of blue, green and brown.

I want to tell him his eyes are beauiful too, but instead I find myself leaning even closer into him.

He looks down to my mouth again, and I see the want in his eyes as he looks back up at me. But I can sense his hesitence. He's unsure. Or possibly he just wants me to make the first move.

I consider teasing him about me making the first move again, since I'm the one who asked about our little coffee date tomorrow.

But before I can say anything, he surprises me.

"I'm going to kiss you Tris. But please know that you can stop me at anytime." he says, and as I take in his words, I expect him to crash his lips to mine in the heat of the moment. But he doesn't.

Instead, he leans in slowly and proceeds to just barely brush his lips over mine.

He softly glides them over mine for a moment, it's so faint and subtle, it almost feels like he's teasing. Really though, I get the impression that he's just savoring the moment. He's taking his time to experience and enjoy it, which makes it so much more wonderful.

His hand comes up and cradles my face, as he finally pressing his lips more firmly to mine. His hand pushes back further, and his fingers tangle into the hair. He tilts his head slightly to get closer and deepens the kiss, taking it from sweet and romantic, to passionate and extremely sexy.

Our tongues meet and caress each other. My arms go around his neck and I reciprocate the kiss whole heartedly.

There is something incredible in the way our mouths move against one another, like we've done this many times before.

It's so incredible, that I have to mentally scold myself for so badly wanting to take things further already. It's like he lights a fire within me. I crave him more than I've ever craved anything. But I've only just technically met him today!

He seems to feel similarly, because he transitions back to the soft relaxed kissing.

When we finally pull apart, we just look at each other, mouths parted as we breath heavily to catch our breath.

"You're really good at that." I whisper without thinking.

"It takes two baby." He replies, a smile on his face. Then he pulls me into the crook of his arm where I lay my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me and holds me close. My eye lids grow heavier and I feel him kiss the top of my head as I drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N-**

 **I apologize, this is not the edited version of this chapter. For some reason it won't let me copy/paste/save the final edited version. I guess this is what I get for doing all my work on an iPad? Well, either way, I promised an update of part 2 today, so I posted it. But if I end up getting the edited version saved, I'll re-post it.**

 **Thank you SO much for all the wonderful feedback with Part 1. You're so encouraging and amazing! Please continue to let me know what you think for this part as well.**

 **Until tomorrow...**

 **-Madison**


	3. Chapter 3

**"** **Private Property" -** **Part 3 of 3**

* * *

I wake up to the now familiar combination of smells, similarly to how I woke up on the rooftop that first time. But this time, it's even stronger and better.

Still not fully awake, I keep my eyes closed and try to rely on my nose to determine the subtleties of the enticing scent. It seems to be a mix of laundry and soap, along with something else...leather? Sandalwood? Is it a type of cologne? I don't know what it is, but it seems...outdoorsy. Distinctly male.

Then it starts to come together for me and my brain begins to function more appropriately. I know that smell. I _love_ his smell.

I crack an eye open and low and behold, the guy that absolutely exceeded my expectations, is asleep beside me.

We're still in our own lounge chairs, but they're still pushed up against each other. And now we're facing each other, me on my right side, he on his left. He's a little higher up than me, and since our upper halves have migrated towards each other a bit, I feel his breaths on the top of my head. My face is just inches from white t-shirt clad chest, and my left hand lays over his right, our fingers comfortably entwined. The large comforter is still draped over the two of us, pulled up just past my shoulder. How did we end up so comfortably tangled up in our sleep? I barely remember falling asleep to begin with.

But I do know that despite the lack of an actual mattress beneath me, I had a damn good sleep. And by the looks of the early hour, I barely got more than a few hours. It doesn't matter though, that might have just been one of the best night of my life.

And here I am, still enjoying his closeness. It feels so unbelievably good to be the one on the receiving end of his smiles, his conversation, his kisses, and now his hand holding. Is this what love is like? Surely it's much to early to consider that. But I already see the possibility of me falling for this guy.

Too selfish to ignore my need to look at him, I pull away enough to look at his face.

His brown hair almost looks golden in the early morning lighting, with the sun not quite peeking over the horizon yet. His skin looks golden to match, and his broad shoulders and muscular chest seem even more defined when being this close to him.

His eyes are shut with peaceful slumber, his expression relaxed. And his lips...those gorgeous lips. They're plumper than any others I've kissed before, but not too big either. They're extremely enticing, that's for sure. Fuck...and that jaw with his stubble coming in...I need to kiss it.

So I do. Just as the sun begins to rise and become a beautiful aray of pinks, purples and oranges, I lean in and press gentle kisses to his chin and jaw.

He stirs softly and his eyes flutter open. His eyes focus and he smiles down at me.

"Is this real?" He asks, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Mhmm." I murmur in confirmation with a shy smile.

"I guess we're up here for the sunrise together after all, we just forgot to bring the coffee." he says, smiling back at me.

"I can run down and make some if you want." I offer.

"I'm good right now, much too content with laying here with you." he says.

"Me too." I agree before biting my lip.

"But maybe we can go get some together in a little bit?"

"Yeah, I have the whole day free."

And then there's that broad smile of his again, the one that speeds up my heartbeat and gives me a fluttering feeling in my stomach...and makes my panties wet.

•••

"Have a good weekend everyone. And don't forget that your geography quiz is on Monday, so I suggest you study." I remind my students as they begin to pack up their stuff.

When they've all shuffled out of the room, I pack up my bag and gather my purse, sunglasses and keys. I don't have any meetings today, just some homework to grade. But I can do that at home. So I'm excited to head out and get the rest of my work over with, so that I can enjoy my weekend with the guy I have fallen head over heals with over the last three weeks.

Ever since that night we spent on the rooftop togther, we've been pretty inseperable. We see each other almost every day, whether it be for coffee before work, dinner afterwards, or a lazy weekend of doing laundry together as we watch tv or listen to music.

Sometimes we go out to eat, and we've gone to the movie theater twice now. But much of our time is hanging out at each others apartments, or up on the roof top. Which is still where we like to go and read. Sometimes to each other, or sometime we're wrapped up in our own books, but still enjoy each other's company.

There have been a couple of times where Christina and our now shared group of friends have come and hung out with us. I'm glad we all get along so great and that he doesn't stop being _boyfriend-_ like wit's me when they're around.

We still haven't really discussed any of this...anything regarding our relationship or labeling what we are. It's just never really come up. And whenever we've gone out, we've never referred to it as a date. We don't refer to it as anything else either though. We just casually ask each other to go do something and we agree and go and have fun. It's so easy and wonderful not stressing about all the usual 'dating' stuff. I guess it just feels really natural.

But by technicalities, we're still just friends since we've never mentioned being something more. I guess I just don't want to assume and get my hopes up, only to find out that's not what he wants. Maybe he likes the 'no strings attached' thing.

However, we do act like a couple.

After Christina pointed it out to me, it became fairly obvious how close Tobias and I have become. And how we don't really seem to hide it in front of others.

I realized how often we seem to find reasons to touch each other, or to sit near each other and snuggle close. We often find ourselves holding hands, or sharing a brief moment as we just smile affectionatly at one another. And then...there's the kissing. That's been happening pretty regularly too.

So yeah, although we haven't taken it further than that, one might think we're a couple.

I just don't know if that's what _he_ thinks.

When I get to my car, I check my phone and see I got a text from him earlier.

 _[3:27pm] Tobias: I should be home from work by 7 o'clock. You want to come for dinner too? Or just the movie later? You should eat with me._

I smile as I read his message.

We had agreed to finally start our Star Wars marathon tonight, since it's a Friday and we have the weekend off. But I'll be more than happy to add dinner to the plan.

 _[4:06pm] Tris: I could eat._

 _[4:07pm] Tobias: Good. Come hungry._

 _[4:08pm] Tris: Want me to bring anything?_

 _[4:08pm] Tobias: Nope. All I need is you._

His text makes me smile wider and I find myself shyly pressing my fingertips to my lips in a poor attempt at covering it.

That last sentence keeps repeating in my head. _All I need is you._ I'm probably just reading into it too much. But still, I like his way with words. Often simple and too the point, but often times they're these sweet things that make me fall for him even more.

 _[4:10pm] Tris: Then I'll be there. As previously warned, I'll be in my sweatpants._

 _[4:15pm] Tobias: Me too._

I drive home _,_ happy to have left early enough to beat the traffic. Once I step in the door and set my stuff down, I see he's texted me again.

 _[4:33] Tobias: I've realized, I smile like an idiot when I think about you._

Yeah, I definitely like his way with words. I feel like my face might one day just get stuck into a permanent smile.

 _[4:16pm] Tris: We can be idiots together._

•••

I spent the last couple of hours grading book reports, then I ran on the treadmill for a while, before deciding I better take another shower.

By the time I'm dressed and ready, it's about 7 o'clock. So I grab his hoodie that he left at my place, the container of cookies I made, and head up towards his apartment.

But when I get to his door, I see a post-it note stuck to the front.

 _Roof_

I smile to myself and pull the note down and crumble it up before tossing it in the small nearby trash can. I don't want to take a chance of anyone else seeing it and coming up.

I decide it might be cold up on the roof, so I pull his sweatshirt over my head as I make my way to the stairs.

The trek up the 12 steps is familiar to me, and I'm reminded of how glad I am that I stumbled upon this private property. Not only did it help in my healing after losing my parents, but it led me to meet Tobias. And those are two things I am definitely thankful for.

A part of me wants to tell him how I feel. He must have some idea, with the way I act around him. How I try to subtly show I care. How I crave his company and nearness. Plus, I'd hope he wouldn't suspect me to be the type that just goes around kissing guys. But still, the fact that the topic hasn't actually come up, makes me anxious.

What if I'm reading this all wrong?

Before I'm even able to entertain that idea, I open the latch to the clear door and cross the threshold onto the roof, only to find it illuminated by various lanterns scattered throughout the space.

I had always considered the rooftop to be pretty romantic, especially at night. But the sight before me brings romantic to a whole new level.

Straight ahead of me, I see Tobias setting up what looks to me like a picnic style dinner. Next to the sheet spread out with an assortment of delicious looking food, is a giant heap of blankets and pillows, on top of what I think is an air mattress.

As I inch my way closer, I see that he's set up a projector, which displays the picture onto the side wall of the little utility room that sits up here on the roof. The main menu for one of the Star Wars movies is up, ready to 'Play' whenever we're ready.

Tobias notices me and gives me a nervous smile.

"I hope you don't mind I decided to bring our movie night up here." he says.

I give him a reasssuring smile.

"It's amazing, I love it."

He relaxes a bit and stands to greet me properly. We wrap our arms around each other in a tender hug, holding each other close for a good solid few moments. He kisses my forehead as he pulls away and notices what I'm wearing. He raises one eyebrow, looking ridiculously adorable.

"Nice sweatshirt." he compliments with an amused smirk.

"Hey, I was bringing it back to you, I promise. But then I saw your note and decided to wear it instead. I'm only wearing a thin tank top underneath, so I knew I'd be cold."

"It looks better on you anyway." he says, taking my hand and leading me to the food he's prepared.

Between his sweet comment and the view of the meal still simmering hot in front of me, I don't bother hiding my grin. And as if on cue, my stomach rumbles.

"This looks _so_ good, did you make it?" I ask, realizing I don't see any takeout containers. And the food itself looks homemade.

"Yeah, I got home a little earlier than I expected. So I decided to cook for you." he explains, serving me some hearty looking penne pasta. Then gives me a separate bowl with a mixed green salad, and unfolds the towel nestled in a basket, revealing some buttery looking herb rolls.

"I'm glad you did, this looks delicious." I compliment before taking my first bite.

"They're Pillsbury rolls, but I seasoned them up a bit which makes them better."

 _"Sooo_ good." I practically moan as I take another bite.

"So it came out okay? I didn't over cook the noodles?" he asks, as if really worried it might not taste good, although he takes his own bite anyway.

"Shut up! Are you serious? This is fantastic!" I say, poking more pasta and bit of meatball on my fork. "You've yet to cook me something I disliked, Tobias. And I'm really starting to doubt your ability to do so." I add after I've swallowed my bite.

He just smiles bashfully and tucks back into his own food.

He asks about my day and I ask about his. As usual, conversation is easy and lighthearted. He often makes stupid jokes, but I love all of them. He makes me laugh like crazy, and I love that he seems to feel so at ease and silly around me.

When we're done eating, he sits on one side air matress and grabs his laptop to hit play. Meanwhile, I snuggle beneath the blankets, undoing the bun on my head before running my hands throughout my hair to untangle it. Then I lay back onto the pile of pillows. I realize Tobias had been watching me and he quickly looks away shyly like he'd been caught staring.

It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. In the beginning, it would just make me blush and a bit awkward, but still make my heart flutter.  
It still does those things, but with a bit less awkwardness, and now it also seems to give me more confidence that maybe my feelings for him are mutual.

He rubs the back of his neck a bit nervously and clears his throat. "So, yeah, this is technically Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope. But it was the first one made of the series. I figured we'll watch them in order of when they were released."

"That sounds good." I reply, finding it way too cute how flustered he is.

He hits play and sets the laptop aside, before laying back beside me and pulling the blanket over him too.

Over the next two hours, we watch as Darth Vader and the Imperial Forces hold Princess Leia hostage and Luke Skywalker and Han Solo rescue her, helping the Rebel Alliance and restoring freedom and justice to the galaxy.

By the end, I find that Tobias is still laying on his back, but I'm tucked into his side, my head on his chest and his arm around me. It's warm and cozy within the confines of the blankets with him, and as the projector goes black since the movie has ended, it really shows off the flickering lights of the lanterns that are still lit around us.

"That movie was even better than I expected." I tell him, nuzzling my face into his chest a bit more before looking up at him.

He's smiling down at me, but has a playfullness behind his eyes.

"You sure you're not just saying that because I made a big fuss over it?" he asks, his amusement fully evident now in his wide goofy smile. He even reaches down to give my hip a little pinch since he knows how ticklish I am there.

I let out a yelp at the feeling. I try (and fail) to hold his hand away so he can't continue.

"I'm serious, you butthead. I really liked it." I tell him honestly, but I'm still grinning from his playfullness and the warm feeling that spreads through my body when I'm around him.

"Butthead?" he laughs. "That's as bad as ' _meany_ '." he says, which he teased me for calling him yesterday.

"I'm around 4th graders all day, remember?" I laugh. "And I was about to compliment how nice you set it up out here, it has a nice romantic feel. You were being so sweet, But now you've ruined it with your teasing and tickling." I say with s smile, watching as he tries to manuever to tickle me again. He still has that sexy playful glint in his eye.

I laugh and squeal again as he successfully gets my waist, until I manage to slip from his grasp and end up straddling him.

We've been in this position twice before. Neither time did it lead to anything further than making out. But it was exhilarating.

The first time, we had watched a movie, and then missed the last 20 minutes of it because we got distracted with each other.

The second time, we were on the roof having breakfast at the table. After we ate, I walked to his side of the table to grab his plate. But before I had the chance, he pulled me to sit on his lap. It wasn't long until facing him and my lips were on his. His hands had roamed a little further than usual, and by the time my alarm went off on my phone indicating I had to leave for work, he was full-on palming my ass with both of his sexy hands.

This time though, we pause and look at each other, my hair fanning around us.

"Romantic, huh?" he asks huskily.

Whoops, yeah, I forgot I said that.

I swallow thickly and nod, the passionate look he's giving me seemingly too intense for me to utter any actual words.

"I have to tell you something." he says after a moment.

"Okay." I reply, a bit surprised, but obviously intrigued.

"Well, Zeke's mom Hana came by the brewery yesterday, and when she asked how I was doing, Zeke chimed in and told her I had a girlfriend."

"Oh?"

"I didn't correct him either."

"You didn't?" I ask dumbly, not knowing what else to say. Is her for real? What is he getting at exactly?

He shakes his head. "I liked hearing you referred to as my girlfriend. And I guess we do kind of act like it." He shrugs. "So I just went along with it. But then I started to feel guilty."

"How come?" I ask, hoping it's not because he regrets not correcting her.

"Because I shouldn't be allowed to call you that without your permission first. It should be a mutual decision between us. So, I guess my question is- can I please _truly_ tell people you're my girlfriend?"

Now I'm even more speechless. Of course I want to be his girlfriend! But I'm too in shock to speak, I decide to _show_ him how I feel about that, by leaning in to firmly press my lips to his.

"Can I take that as a yes?" He mumbles against my lips, but I feel him smiling widely. He already knows my answer.

I smile back and nod. "Absolutely."

His lips claim mine once more, and I let out a whimper when I feel his tongue sneak out and massage mine as his arms wrap around me. One around my lower back, and one around my shoulders.

I love kissing Tobias.

There is something unique and wonderful in the way our mouths move against one another, like we've done this lifetimes before—this simple action of pressing our lips together and getting our fill of one another's taste.

It's then that I fully realize where this particular kiss is leading, and I'm completely happy with that prospect. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it before. In fact, lately, I'd be lying if I didn't think about it on a daily basis.

As if his kiss and and touches weren't enough to show me how he truly feels, I then shift slightly, and prodominantly feel the bulge in his pants. We're not wearing denim jeans like we were those other times. Tonight, we're both just in our sweatpants, which are much thinner and easier to feel each other.

I instinctevely roll my hips and he lets out a low rumble of a moan as he flexes his hips up to meet mine. The contact hits me perfectly and I let out a breathy sigh. He does it again, his lips mapping their way down my neck and to my collar bone, over my raven tattoos.

I pause momentarily to remove his sweatshirt that I'm wearing, and he lifts up to remove his own as well. Leaving him in his t-shirt and me in my bra and white tank top.

We resume kissing, and his hands travel up my back and down my arms, before tentatively reaching beneath the hem of my tank top. I try to arch my back a little more to encourage him to touch me. Much to my pleasure, he more boldly reaches up beneath the cotton fabric of my top, and massages both breasts outside my bra. He pulls the scoop neck of my tank top down to expose my bra covered chest to his eyes. He mumbles something along the lines of "so sexy", before leaning forward and trailing kissing along the tops of my breasts, above the cups of my lacy white bra.

But when I reach down to grasp his hardness between us, and begin rubbing it outside the dark grey cotton of his pants, he takes a deep breath and gently pulls his lips from my skin which is now covered in goosebumps.

"Tris." he says softly as he presses his forehead to mine. He looks back at me with those piercing blue eyes. He has a content smile on his face, but his expression is intense and he's breathing heavily. He definitely seems worked up, in a good way. Not that the raging hard-on I'm rubbing on isn't enough of an indicator.

"Yeah?" I ask, but it comes out raspy. I guess I'm breathing just as heavily as he is.

He chuckles at my repsonse and I smile lazily at him as I sit up more fully, resting my hands on his stomach. He remains laying fully down, and he feels exquisite beneath me, his erection pressing firmly against my core.

"If we don't stop now, I don't know if I'll be able to." he explains, sitting up so that we're face to face. The movement causing him to once again rub against me just right.

"So don't." I say, looking him straight in the eye, hoping to portray how much I trust him and truly want him.

He looks somewhat surprised, but more just anxious and excited.

"You sure?" he asks, but I feel his cock twitch a little beneath me.

"Yes." I say confidently.

He kisses me again, only to reluctantly pull away a moment later.

"I would totally take you right here, but I just remembered we have neighbors." He reminds me, which I appreciate. I hadn't even thought of that. I guess I really was caught up in the moment.

The rooftop here is somewhat private, but can still be seen by the slightly taller apartment building next door. If anyone had looked out their window, they could see us.

"My place or yours?" I ask.

"Mine's closer." he says and I nod in agreement.

He kisses me again briefly, as if a promise of more to come. Then he gently sets me aside as he stands and quickly begins snuffing out all the lantern flames.

I grab his laptop and small projector for him, not wanting to leave them out here overnight. But I can't help but sneak a glance at his tented sweatpants. I have to bite back a smile at how prodominant it is.

Once we're done, we walk hand in hand down to his apartment.

He opens his front door and barely sets his stuff down on the side table before he turns to me and crashes his lips to mine. His tongue begs for entrance as his hands settle on my hips, moving ever so softly against the sliver of exposed skin there. I happily comply and part my lips, allowing our tongues to dance together in the familiar and wonderful way that they do. I reach my arms around his neck and his hands begin to move upward.

He's gentle, but he uses enough pressure to push my tank top up as he goes. He pauses our kiss to push the garment over my head. Then I reach for the hem of his shirt too, and he gets the hint. He helps me pull it off and toss it to the side as well. But while he's at it, he also drops his pants.

We had already been barefoot all night, so now he just stands there in a pair of black boxer briefs.

 _Wow._

I knew he'd look good with his shirt off, it was pretty obvious. But I guess I didn't expect this level of perfection. He really is like a chisled statue of a greek god, as Christina referred to him once.

And then there's his lower half...and yeah, definitely underwear model worthy.

To say I'm turned on right now, would be a complete understatement.

But once I realize I'm staring, and my head is tilting slowly to the side as if getting a better angle, I straighten back up and my eyes flutter up to meet his, where I find him looking back at me with a hint of amusement. But the adoration is also evident there, which makes my heart swell, and gives me a boost of confidence.

So it's his turn to be pleasantly surprised. In one swift movement, I push my own pants down around my ankles and step out of them. He doesn't bother hiding the fact that he's watching me intently, as I proceed to reach back to the clasp of my bra. I remove it and toss it aside, before walking towards him. But instead if going to him, I pass by him towards the hallway.

I almost get to the doorway of his bedroom before I hear him pull himself together and jog to catch up.

When he reaches me, he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder and makes his way into the room. I'm still in a fit of laughter as he tosses me playfully onto the bed and I rest back on my elbows looking up at him as I bite my lip. I get lost in his eyes as he looks back at me, such strong pleasant emotions surging between the two of us.

Finally, he leans forward and kisses the side of my mouth, then trails his lips lower and lower until hes working on my nipples. I instinctively arch my back again.

I feel his hands slide down to my panties and I suck in a gasp of air as he begins gently rubbing all four of his fingers along the outside of the fabric. I know the cotton is soaked through, but it just seems to encourage him, because then he's reaching for the sides of my panties and pulling them down my legs.

"Yours too." I request once mine are off.

He yanks his down as well, causing his cock to happily spring free from the confines of his underwear. It's stands long, hot and hard in front of his firm muscular body.

I the lay back completely and reach my arms for him.

He places a few kisses up my body before he reaches my face. He hovers above me, holding himself up on his hands as he leans his head down to kiss me passionately.

I feel my body react even more, as his large hand comes up to caress my bare breast, before moving down the front of my body. I don't realize I'm holding my breath until he reaches his destination. At which point I release the breath with a small moan, loving the feel of his fingers exploring between my legs, especially with with no barriers of clothing.

It's even better than I imagined. This touch alone is already making me feel things I never have with another guy before. I guess it's a combination of me never being this attracted to someone before, and the other part is his sheer skill with this hands.

He leans back and watches his fingers disappearing into me. His lips are parted slightly, as if in awe of the sight before him.

The look of desire in his eyes gets me even closer to my peak, and when he leans down to swipe his tongue along me and wraps his lips around my sensitive nub, I can't hold back any longer. My jaw drops and my eyes roll back as I explode with a pleasure so extreme I see stars behind my eyelids. It's got to be the most intense orgasm I have _ever_ had.

When I come back from my high and glance up at him, he's smiling softly at me.

"Beautiful."

I blush and offer him a shy smile.

"I have to see that look on your face at least one more time tonight."

He then turns to his nighstand, where he rifles through looking for a condom. He eventually finds one and uses his teeth to tear the wrapper, which is an extremely hot sight if I do say so myself.

Once it's on, he leans forward on top of me again, hovering over as he kisses me lovingly. But when I feel him move his hips slightly and he grazes my entrance, he pulls away just enough to look at my face.

I see the question in his eyes. I can tell he's looking to make sure I'm ready. I smile at him and nod.

With that, he finally pushes in.

The look that takes over his face, is something I will never forget.

After giving me a moment to adjust, he begins to move and sets the perfect rhythm as he thrusts into me. I clutch his back and raise my hips to meet his. It feels absolutely divine.

"Tris..." he grunts back, rubbing his nose against mine slightly before kissing me again.

My hand tangles in his short brown hair as his kisses travel to my neck and he nibbles on my earlobe. Which causes me to speed even quicker to my second release.

He must feel it too, because I feel his hips speed up a bit and he let's out another deep quiet noise.

"I'm close." He warns.

"Me too." I tell him, feeling it come along quite quickly. Especially as he shifts his angle slightly and pounds into me a bit harder.

My body literally shakes as I hit my peak and the feel of his continued deep thorough strokes inside of me, causes it to last far longer than I expect. The waves of pleasure course through my body, only to be enhanced when I feel him release with a deep pleasant sigh of my name.

After we come down from our highs and are snuggling up in bed after, I look up at him, only to find he's already watching me as he slowly runs his fingers through my long hair.

So, _this_ is what making love is really like.

"That was fun." I say, a playful smile on my face.

"I agree." He says, matching my smile. He gives me a quick kiss on the lips, then looks back at me to ask a question.

"Will you stay here with me tonight?" He asks, almost timidly.

"There's no place I'd rather be."

"Good, because I really didn't want to let you go." He says, giving me a little squeeze with the arm he has around me. "And if you're up for round two after I make you waffles for breakfast, then you'll already be here and ready in my bed."

"Careful. I just might fall in love with you, Tobias Eaton." I say with a chuckle, but I'm sure he sees the sincerity in my eyes, because it reflects in his.

"What if I've already fallen?"

* * *

 **A/N-**

 **There you have it everyone! This little short story is complete.**

 **I apologize for any grammatical errors/mistakes. Unfortunately this chapter gave me the same issue, it won't let me save the edited final version.**

 **Since this little story has been so popular, I may consider doing a few outakes or random future chapters on this little story.** **But until then, I have lots of other short stories and little one-shots started, so will hopefully have another one of them ready to post soon.**

 **Thank you Ractre1127 for all your beta help, you're awesome!**

 **Thank you readers! I'm amazed by your wonderful support and feedback. You're very encouraging and have definitely made me motivated to keep up my writing. I appreciate every single review, message, follow, favorite and like, on here and on Tumblr.**

 **Sometime tonight, I'll be posting the picture collage to go with this story. (My username is: madisonr1129)**


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